Chapter 4: Now what?
"Super….Saiyans?" Someone, most likely Shampoo, managed to say. All the Tendos, Ranma and his father, Genma, Cologne and Shampoo were mesmerized by the awesome display of power before them. Two young boys stood in front of them, bathed in a golden glow. Their hair had become golden, and their eyes cyan. It was the signature transformation of a Super Saiyan, the legendary warrior of the Saiyan race.
"Yup." Trunks said, pleased at their reaction. "I'm glad they didn't freak out or something. That would have made this embarrassing." He looked over to his companion, sizing him up. "Hey Goten, it looks like we're still even Steven."
Goten looked over at Trunks, and nodded, slightly disappointed. But he brightened up when he thought of how much fun it was going to be to try to beat him later. An even fight is a good fight. Both boys lowered their arms and relaxed slightly, and the audible glow about them faded away, although their features didn't change.
"Incredible," Cologne thought, "if that was their peak, then they were right. There isn't anyone here who is strong enough to beat them. However, skill might, even if power doesn't." She thought a moment, thinking of what techniques that could be used against them, just in case they prove to be corrupt after all. They were the most powerful beings on the planet, and most of the Elders of the Amazons had agreed that any being that possessed such large amounts of power would be corrupted by it. The amount of energy these two put out though, far exceeded her wildest imaginations, and beyond her worst nightmare.
"Wow…" That was Ranma, who had finally managed to regain the use of his jaw. "You were right. There isn't anyone here who's stronger than you." Most everyone there sensed a 'but' in the statement, and they weren't surprised at what came next.
"But I bet I could beat you, given a couple sparring matches." Ranma smiled, fully confident. Akane, one of his many fiancées, just gaped at him. "He can't be serious! Not even Herb had this kind of power!" She continued to stare at him as he continued, "You guys wouldn't mind a sparring match tomarrow? Ah, not as Super Saiyans though." The two boys looked to each other, thinking a moment.
Trunks answered first. "I'm game." As he spoke he powered down, and his hair returned to its' normal light lavender color, and his eyes back to their normal blue. Goten had also powered down, returning his hair and eyes back to black, and was nodding enthusiastically. "Sure!" Everyone relaxed as the two super beings' energy returned to their normal states. Genma and Soun though…were still locked in shock.
"Hey pops…" Ranma waved his hand in front of his father. No response. "Ah the hell with it." And with that said, he kicked his father into the pond. A giant panda reappeared quickly, sputtering and holding a sign that read, "That wasn't necessary!"
"Yea whatever." His son snorted. "You'd probably still be here by morning if we left ya that way." His fathers' reply was to use the sign and toss water at him, transforming Ranma into his female form. "WHADDYA DO THAT FOR???" She yelled. The two kids still hadn't quite gotten used to the idea of gender changing, although transforming into animals didn't seem to startle them at all.
As the two Saotomes went at it, Trunks was shown a guest room they could use for the time being, at least until Trunks' mother could arrive from their dimension, not realizing that Bulma wasn't in any condition to much of anything at the moment. Goten remained in the dinning room, watching the battle between father and son. Nibiki nonchalantly went to her room, while Kasumi went to the kitchen to whip up a large dinner. Cologne and Shampoo were looking at the two weapons that the boys had brought with them, but trying to look like they weren't interested at the same time.
"Great-grandmother, Shampoo would like to see jacket-boy's sword. Never seen such a design before." Cologne was itching to look at both, but felt that another opportunity to look at them closer would present it self later. "Come child, we'll look at them later. Right now we have to get back to the restaurant." Shampoo looked at her inquisitively. "We have things to do." Was all the tiny old woman would say. They said their good-byes and quickly left, leaving Soun Tendo, Akane, and Goten in the room to watch the fight.
"Wow, that guy's pretty good. It'll be fun to fight him!" Goten though. Akane glanced over at Goten, and saw a look of eagerness on the lad's face. He was leaning forward, and watching closely every move made. She smiled slightly as she asked, "You like to fight don't you?" He turned to her smiling and simply nodded. "It's fun!" he said. Then he looked at her with a questioning stare, saying, "Do you fight?"
She thought back to all the battles that she had been in, and all the times she sparred with Ranma. But no matter how much she trained, or fought, she just wasn't good enough. Never even close to Ranma's level, much less any of the others. He noticed her sad look as she crossed her hands on her lap. "Yes Goten, I fight. But I'm not very good, or very strong." It was the hardest confession she had ever said aloud.
"Really?" He said, looking at her with an intenseness that only little kids can give. "I didn't think you were that weak compared to everyone else here." She smiled at his compliment as she answered, "Whom am I kidding? I've been in lots of fights, and nearly every time someone has had to bail me out. It would be nice to have the skill of Ranma, or the grace of Shampoo. It would be ever better if I had power like yours. But it's not to be." She wiped a small tear from her eye as a loud crash is heard. They both turned their attention to the battle. Both father and son were panting, but they were still going at it. "Hmm, it's not every day that they really go at it. Usually Ranma wins easily. Maybe he's just training." Soun, for his part, had passed out from the earlier shock.
She turned back to Goten and said, "How about a walk?
"Sure, lemme tell Trunks so he knows." Without waiting for a reply he took off for the upstairs. Akane stood up and smoothed the skirt on her dress and went to the door, slipping on her shoes as she got there. He came right back down in less than a minute with his bo on his back. Sliding to the door, he managed to stop himself before hitting the wall. "Whoa…guess I got carried away hehehe." She laughed with him at his antics as he slipped his boots on. As soon as they were on they slipped out the door and into the quickly darkening streets.
****
A few miles away…
"For a moment I could sense their energy skyrocket." Thought Goku as he continued to walk the streets of Nerima. He had managed to reach this dimension through some rift of some sorts, but when he traversed it, it drained him severely, to the point that he couldn't fly if he wanted to. He was now too weak to do battle against a powerful enemy, although he was more than strong enough to handle any hoodlums that he could come into contact with.
"I wonder why they powered up though? I don't sense any danger in their area. Maybe they made some friends and were showing off? Yea, that must be it, I can sense some weaker energy signatures near them." Goku inwardly shrugged, feeling his energy slowly recover as he walked. As he continued on his journey, he looked around at his surroundings. Square buildings filled almost every available space, and the streets were rather narrow, although he didn't see any cars around at all. Vending machines dotted the area, as did several restaurants, some of which smelled really good right now. "No, can't eat. Besides, I don't think they would let me eat on credit heheh" he chuckled, knowing that if they did, they'd probably be bankrupt on his stomach.
He felt something hit his foot and clattered down the street. Looking at it curiously, he saw that it was a tin can, although it now had a foot on top of it. "Hmm?" the warrior said as he looked at the small group. Kids from the looks of them, maybe almost out of their teens. There were five of them arranged in a loose horseshoe around him, all dressed in what appeared to be school uniforms of some sort or another. Although none of them looked well groomed, and several of them looked quite seedy.
He gazed at all of them from left to right. A young blonde woman wearing slacks and blouse, with a nasty smirk and was using a nasty-looking knife to clean her fingernails was nearest him. Next was a brown-haired, short boy, with a jacket over his shoulder. The one with his foot over the can was obviously the leader. He had a look of amusement, though there wasn't any joy in it. He was taller than the others, and most likely older, with a fairly broad chest and thick arms, with one hand in a pocket. His black hair fluttered in the breeze as he gazed at Goku. Next to him was another young woman, this one slightly shorter than the other. She would have been considered pretty, if her simmering glare would've cared to leave her face. Her blouse was untucked from her slacks, and her long black hair hung down to her waist. She held a pipe of some sorts in her hand. Finally, he gazed at the last one. He was also the most groomed of them, and the most nervous. He had brown hair, and glasses over his rapidly shifting eyes.
"Ahh…is there something I can do for you?" Goku inquired. There was some laughter from a couple in the group as they slowly surrounded him.
"Actually, there is." The tall one said, crushing the can under his boot. "You see, there's a toll to pass on this here street, and, unless I'm wrong, you haven't paid yet." He sneered.
Goku scratched his head, thinking back, "Gee…I didn't see a toll sign anywhere. Where was I supposed to pay?" He looked up at the tall one, who was now gazing back in disbelief. Goku continued, "Actually, I don't even have any money to pay anyways heheh." This was the wrong thing to say to these people.
"Oh…no money eh? Well, we have other forms of payment here." The leader sneered again.
"Oooh…you mean you guys use credit?" The leader glowered at Goku's innocence.
"No you idiot! We're going to beat the hell out of you!" He motioned with his head to the girl with the knife. A wicked grin crossed her face as she tossed the knife back and forth between her hands. Goku, for his part, just looked at her blankly, saying, "Well that's not nice." This got a laugh from all in the group, even the nervous kid.
With a yell she came in charging, knife held forward and aimed for his heart. Suddenly, she stopped moving, and she couldn't understand why at first. Everyone else looked on in surprise as Goku held the knife blade between his first two fingers. Try as she might, she couldn't move the knife. The jacket kid came in then, wielding a bat. He brought it down right on Goku's head, while he watched the girl struggle. The bat broke in half. The kid looked at the shattered half he held in shock, as Goku turned to look at him blankly. "Is there something wrong? You seem to have broken your bat." he asked, oblivious to the fact that his head was smacked by a METAL Louisville bat, and he didn't feel it. Then again, he always did have a hard head.
Outraged, bat boy, the pipe girl, and the knife girl came in swinging for all they were worth. With a speed they couldn't match, although it tired him a little, he blocked every punch, kick, and weapon used at him. Goku smirked a little, then, moving just a little faster, slipped a tap against the boy, and two slaps against the girls between their blows. All three were knocked backwards from the blows, and fell to the ground groaning. Their leader was now outraged. From his pocket he pulled a pistol, a 9mm Beretta, and aimed it at the orange clad fighter. "That's it. For that you DIE!" he shouted, then pulled the trigger. Goku watched the bullet approach, and with casual ease, he caught the bullet. "You should be more careful, you could hurt someone with that." He said.
"WHY YOU!!!" He fired five more rounds at Goku, who caught them all. In shock, he watched as the spiky haired figure simply squeezed his hand a little, and then opened it. A small ball landed with the sound of lead on concrete. With the knife still in his other hand, Goku quickly tosses it at the leader…or more correctly, at the pistol. He flew back several feet, and fell to his back as he held the gun against his chest. Sitting up, he looks at it, and in astonishment, he finds the knife was in the dead center of the barrel, jamming and ruining it completely.
With a growl, the leader stood up. "You haven't seen the last of us! We'll be back for our payment, and next time, it'll be doubled!" He turns and quickly walks away into a sidestreet, his companions following. The nervous kid looks at Goku in dismay, then quickly chased after them.
Blinking slightly, Goku shrugs and continues on his way, leaving some astonished onlookers behind. A couple stared at his emblemed back as he drifted away into the growing darkness.
****
Elsewhere…"Aww…lookit what you did to those poor kids, you big bully!" Toltiir mocked as he watched Goku. Then he smiled, thoroughly enjoying the chaos he had spread so far. "Time for some more though." With that, he turned his attention away.
****
Back in Nerima…"So tell me something Goten," Akane asked as they walked. He smiled at her, waiting for the question.
"What's a 'Super Saiyan'?" Gotens' face when blank as he thought for a moment.
"I don't know. I just know that that's what I am." He replied, "I mean, I'm half-human, half-saiyan, so I guess that lets me have the powers of a saiyan, or something. You'd have to ask my dad, or Trunks dad. They'd know. They're full saiyans." They walked on a bit longer in silence. Then all lights in all the buildings and street lamps went out. Goten looked about, confused, while Akane simply groaned.
"Not another power failure! Man, I'm sick of them! And me without a flashlight." True, without any lights, the whole area had become nearly pitch-black.
"Don't worry Akane," Goten smiled, then held out his hand. A small ball of light emerged, lighting up the area for several feet in its' golden glow. The ball then rose until it was above their heads, keeping them well lit without blinding them. "That's a neat trick, you'd have to show me how to do that sometime." She smiled appreciatively.
"Well, I would, but I don't think you have the power to do it." He said honestly. She bit back an angry retort, and instead asked, "What's it like? To have that kind of power?" She turned to face him fully, looking into his eyes in curiosity. "I don't know. I've never really not had it. It's just been there for me." It wasn't the kind of answer she wanted, but it was all she was probably going to get.
"Hey, I got an idea!" He held out his hand towards her. Wary, she slowly took it, wondering what he was up too.
Suddenly, she felt energy pour up her arm and into her body. She felt it grow as Goten added more of his Super Saiyan power to her. Her eyes were wide as he continued to give her energy. "Incredible! I feel like I'm on fire all over! Yet, it doesn't hurt at all…it actually feels great! Amazing…is this what it's like for Ranma?" she thought to herself as she soaked up the energy. Goten added it slowly, not wanting to burn her body out before she got to try out his idea. If someone was to wonder by, they would have seen a young boy wearing a bo staff on his back with a teenage girl, holding her hand, lit up in the glow of a small ball above them. Both of them were bathed in a soft white light that shimmered and wavered about them, as if they were smoking.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally stopped, and released her hand. She kept it extended for a moment, not wanting to move. She couldn't get over the feelings her body was giving her. She could feel the power crackle within her, wanting release, yet, she didn't know why. She looked at her hands, then back at Goten in wonderment. He simply smiled as he said, "Ok, now bring out your energy. I think you'll get the same feeling I get when I become a Super Saiyan. You do know how to bring out your energy right?" She didn't like the sound of that.
"Yes of course, but what do you mean, 'you think'? Haven't you done this before?" She asked, eyes narrowed, slightly upset. He shook his head, yet kept smiling. She rolled her eyes, thinking, "Great, I'm his first. Wonderful."
"Don't worry, as long as you do it slowly, you shouldn't burn out your body at all." He said all too cheerfully as he waited.
"That's comforting…I think." She muttered. She was about to bring it out when a demented laugh was heard. She spun around, and nearly spun herself dizzy from the speed that she moved at. Goten had heard it too, and had faced the direction the sound came from.
A tiny old man was bounding towards them, carrying a large brown sack filled with lord knew what. He saw the two, and instantly recognized Akane. "AKANE!! MY SWEET CHILD!!" He cried as he dropped the sack and jumped into the air, heading straight for her. She knew what was coming, and she was instantly angry at what the old man had in mind. Goten intercepted the man first though, holding him by the back of his shirt. He clawed at the air, wondering why he wasn't moving forward anymore. "What the…let go of me! You should respect your elders boy!"
Goten just stared quizzically as he asked, "Akane, who is this? Do you know him?"
Akane glowered, feeling her body tensing up. "Yes, unfortunately, I do. This is Master Happosai, although I think he's only a master of PERVERSION!" She stomped towards the old master, who was still struggling to free himself.
"Let go of me kid! You don't know who your dealing with!" With that Happosai pulled out a round, lit bomb, yelling, "HAPPO FIRE BURST!!" and tossed it at Goten. The small fighter merely batted it away high into the air, where it exploded. He looked to Akane, who was getting madder by the minute as she remembered all that the old man had done. While the old man's eyes googled at him, he asked Akane, "What do you want done with him?"
"Just hold'em!" With that, Akane pulled out her mallet, and with a mighty swing, whacked the old pervert into the sky. "Nice arm!" Goten commented as she huffed, putting the mallet away.
"Damn that old man! I wish he'd never arrived here!" She felt her muscles tighten up as she kept remembering each past act of perversion the old man had done, each act of supposed 'training' he had put Ranma through. It made her blood boil. Then she remembered all the nasty things Ranma had said to her over the past year. Goten looked at her, slightly concerned now. She was powering up and didn't know it. He watched as her short dark blue hair slowly stood on end, a couple locks over her brow, and her breathing quickened, fists held tightly. Usually she could calm herself down after stopping Happosai, but the influx of energy into her system demanded release, and the old man had merely triggered a landslide.
Goten continued to watch as she remembered all the humiliating times she'd been beaten by other fighters in all the numerous tournaments she had been in, how they had laughed at her, mocked her. He watched as her arms gained some muscle tone and a little bulk, and her shoulders became slightly broader. Her chest bulged slightly as the muscles soaked up the power and put it to use. Her legs gained some bulk and tone as well as she kept powering up far faster than Goten would have thought safe. The air around her was wavering, and her dress was fluttering slightly.
"Uh oh…I hope I didn't fry her! She's rather nice!" He stepped back a couple steps, hoping she didn't explode or something. He'd made some dumb mistakes in the past, and he was hoping beyond hope that this wasn't one of them. She gained a little height, and then, with a scream of pure outrage, she brought out the energy that Goten had given her, and her rage had fed. The force of it tossed Goten all the way into a concrete wall, stunning him. When he looked up, he blinked in astonishment at what happened to Akane. She stood in a small crater, far smaller than the ones he and Trunks made earlier, bathed in the familier golden glow, her dress fluttering about her. Her hair had taken on a slightly blond look, but wasn't the gold of a Super Saiyan, and her eyes had only gone to a lighter shade of blue, not cyan and pupil-less. Her face was intent as her mind finally caught up with what had happened. She looked at her bare arms, and saw the muscle tone and definition that wasn't there before. Too, she also noticed the glow that surrounded her, and the little crater under her feet.
Goten finally walked up to her, awed beyond ability to speak. "She's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Yet…she also scares the dickens out of me!" He remembered the first look on her face immeadiatly following the transformation. It was a look of death to anyone who ever ticked her off. Now though, her face was transfixed as she looked herself over in a store window.
"Wow…this is what it's like to be a Super Saiyan? Incredible!" She looked at her body, and how much more powerful and built it was, especially around her chest and arms. She looked at the small sleeves, and they were slightly tight around the biceps now, not loose. She stretched herself a little, and felt how tight her clothing as a whole was. "Wow! This must have changed my whole body!" She smiled in appreciation at the new look. "You know, I could get used to this, although I'm not sure I like the dirty blond hair look." She mused.
"Man, I'm sure glad you didn't blow up! Ya had me worried there. She turned to him, and smiled warmly.
"Thank you Goten. You've made this day one of the happiest days ever." She tested out her new abilites, and loved the feel of her arms and legs slicing the air with an audible sound. Goten quickly got her attention though when he said, "It won't last you know." She froze, and looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's only a temporary energy exchange, and as soon as you use it up, it's gone. And if you power up like that too much you'll lose it much faster. Right now you're using my energy, but yours isn't strong enough to stay like this after you've used it up." He said seriously. "If you stay like this, you'll probably loose the energy within a few hours. Right now, if you relax again, it might last you a few days. I think." He said, not totally sure.
She thought a moment, then picked up that her strength was slowly, but surely fading. She smiled at Goten and grabbed his arm. "Come on then! I want to show everyone before I power back down. This is too good for them to miss!" and she took off in a dead run, far faster than any human had ever run before, leaving a golden trail behind, with Goten latterly flying behind her.
"She'll use it up even faster if she has to run far!" He thought, looking perplexed while the darkened district of Nerima flew by sideways.
To be continued….